There is an unusual amount of “everything old is new again” in the Sun Belt. Former conference member Louisiana Tech is now back in the fold. Former Sun Belt head coaches Blake Anderson (Arkansas State) and Billy Napier (Louisiana) are head coaches in the SBC again (Southern Miss and James Madison respectively). Last year’s division winners (James Madison and Troy) are this year’s preseason favorites. They say familiarity breeds contempt, but they are idiots – always were.

There is plenty of new, too. Approximately 313 new players have portaled into the conference, replacing the estimated 323 who have portaled out. In addition to JMU and USM, Coastal Carolina has a new head coach, the baby-faced Ryan Beard, formerly of Missouri State. Also, the Sun Belt hosts a significant number of mostly new coaches, like second-year play callers Tony Gibson (Marshall) and Dowell Logains (Appalachain State), and third-year coaches Dell McGee (Georgia State), Gerad Parker (Troy), Major Applewhite (South Alabama), and Bryant Vincent (ULM). The new-coach smell lingers in the Sun Belt.

The SBC Features a Somewhat Unusually High Number of Returning QBs in 2026

In the Age of NIL and Unlimited Portal Power, rare is the team bearing the luxury of a returning quarterback – especially in a G5 conference, where a good season is usually becomes a big payday somewhere else. This year, the Sun Belt has done a fair job holding onto their signal callers, providing a stability most Sun Belt programs rarely enjoy.

TEAM	PLAYER	YEAR	LAST SEASON
Old Dominion	Quinn Henicle	Sophomore	Cure Bowl MVP
Marshall	Carlos Del Rio-Wilson	Senior	2,043 yds, 17 TDs
Georgia St	Cameran Brown	Senior	1,296 yds, 13 TDs
Louisiana	Lunch Winfield	Junior	1,555 yds, 11 TDs
Troy	Goose Crowder	Senior	1,327 yds, 13 TDs
Louisana Tech	Blake Baker	Junior	1,251 yds, 5 TDs
South Alabama	Bishop Davenport	Senior	2,072 yds, 12 TDs
ULM	Aidan Armenta	Junior	1,629 yds, 12 TDs

Red Wolves fans will remember 2024 when Henicle ran for more than 200 yards to win Sun Belt Player of the Week. Much is expected from Rio-Wilson, who was named the SBC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Davenport, Brown and Crowder certainly have the experience to be game changers, but look for Winfield to be a guy heavily leaned upon. The quarterback situation was a disaster for the Cajuns last season – until Winfield settled in behind center. Mike Desormeaux should have an easier season with the QB positioned settled.

The Weird, Weird Sun Belt West

The Sun Belt West has seemed like a toss-up for years, but the Cajuns and Troy have dominated the division title for five straight seasons despite the best efforts from Arkansas State, South Alabama and the recently departed Texas State. SBC coaches picked last year’s divisional winner, Troy, to repeat as champions, but Troy doesn’t have any fewer issues than the rest of The West. The division is legitimately up from grabs. Let’s examine.

Troy Wins the West If: Goose Crowder is for reals

Last year, Crowder suffered a knee injury in Week 3 against Memphis and missed seven weeks, giving Tucker Killcrease an opportunity to show his quality. Crowder would make is second debut with the Trojans later in the season against Georgia State, where he threw for 361 yards and four touchdowns. The performance recharged Troy and propelled the Trojans to the SBC Championship game. If Crowder maintains momentum and remains healthy, the Trojans have a good shot at the repeat.

Louisiana Wins the West If: The Offense Finds Its Punch with Lunch

Last year, the Cajuns offense ranked 98th for total offense, which isn’t just too terribly bad until you see that the Cajuns ranked 107th for total defense. Louisiana simply didn’t have enough firepower to outgun opponents. Much of that problem was the result of losing stud QB Walker Howard at the beginning of the season, narrating an Odyssey behind center before the tide finally brought Lunch Winfield to shore. The young quarterback found his footing at season’s end, guiding Louisiana to four straight wins and a bowl appearance. If the OL is healthy, look for Lunch to eat in 2026.

Arkansas State Wins the West If: The Defense Gels Early

The Red Wolves finished 2025 ranked 110th in total defense – a miracle considering how slowly the defensive unit coalesced. Too often, A-State opponents scored enough points in the first quarter to seal the deal. But after a dispiriting loss to ULM, the Red Wolves marshaled around first year defensive coordinator Griff McCarley and began to play more aggressively in the trenches, creating havoc and making plays. The Red Wolves have but two seasoned veterans returning to the defensive huddle, which means McCarley will need to pull another rabbit from his hat if he wants to see A-State have a shot at the division.

Louisiana Tech Wins the West If: the CUSA Was Better Than We Thought

The Bulldogs have a well-documented history for fielding hard-nosed, winning football teams. After a shaky start to his tenure, head coach Sonny Cumbie is living up to that benchmark, turning in a 8-win season last year that included a bowl victory over Coastal Carolina. This season, Cumbie retains the services of quarterback Blake Baker, who led the Bulldogs to a 4-1 start in 2025 until he was sidelined by injury. As a citizen of the Sun Belt, my nose is turned upwards when assessing the value of the CUSA. But Cumbie beat two SBC opponents last year, so don’t be surprised if the Bulldogs see success in Year One.

Southern Miss Wins the West If: Blake Anderson is a Sorcerer

If anybody can turn lead into gold, it’s probably Blake Anderson, the new head coach for the Golden Eagles. The former A-State and Utah State leader is known to squeeze diamonds from raw talent. He’ll have plenty of that in Hattiesburg, with departing head coach Charles Huff leaving the pantry bare. Only 22% of the teams snaps return for 2026 – the lowest in the Sun Belt. Anderson will have to work with a brand new everything this year, which probably means we’re about to see the Golden Eagles run an ass-ton of trick plays this seaosn.

ULM Wins the West If: Monroe Improved Its Depth

If the game of football were reduced to just two quarters, the Warhawks would have had a decent 2025, perhaps even reaching the team’s goal of making a bowl game. In reality, ULM ran short on steam late in games, especially as the season wore on. Perhaps a new OC will get more production out of Aidan Armenta and the team’s receivers, who put up the lowest scoring offense in the Sun Belt last season. That would certainly put less strain on a defensive unit that ranked a respectable 81st in total defense.

South Alabama Wins the West If: The Real Bishop Davenport Stands Up

The subhead implies that the Jaguars’ woes were all on Davenport’s shoulders last year, but the truth is head coach Major Applewhite was juggling chainsaws all season to field a competitive team. Davenport couldn’t make tackles or nail field goals. In fact, he turned in a fine season at QB, completing 68% of his passes and scoring touchdowns with both his arm and his legs. Yet, Davenport needs to become a star to lead South Alabama out of the Sun Belt cellar. A new OC promises to increase the pace of the offense, and WR Nic Trujillo is certainly a weapon. But is there enough experience of the defensive line to keep the Jags within winning range?

The Sun Belt East is a Football Beast

It may surprise you to learn that, head to head, the record between the Sun Belt West and the East was even in 2025, with James Madison winning the tie breaker by winning the conference championship. Still, it feels like the East is a step ahead, underscored by the Dukes NCAA Playoffs run. Many eyes with be on the SBC East this season, but who’s a contender and who’s a punk?

James Madison Wins the East If: Billy Napier Sticks with the Secret Sauce

The Dukes found instant success in the Sun Belt by sticking to a simple formula: recruit winners, not potential. It began with Curt Cignetti and was carried on Bob Chesney, who upheld a winning tradition at Holy Cross before shifting to Harrisonburg. Napier is a different guy, though. While Cignetti and Chesney developed winning programs by navigating a much smaller recruiting pool, Napier arrives from Florida where The Bag brings the boys to the yard. We know Napier can win – he did so at Louisiana. We’ll see if he can adapt in Harrisonburg.

Appalachian State Wins the East If: Dowell Loggains Can Coach as Well as He Recruits

Everybody knows that Danger Zone Loggains can bring talent to Boone – his classes are tops in the Sun Belt. Now he’s got to translate the potential into points. The Mountaineers lost a host of heartbreakers to Georgia Southern, Arkansas State and Old Dominion last year. Win those games, and we’re trumpeting a new golden age of App State football. Loggains acknowledges that his first year at the helm was a tremendous learning experience. Perhaps the lessons learned will turn those narrow losses into victories in 2026.

Georgia Southern Wins the East If: The More Manageable OOC is Less a Burden

Last year’s OOC schedule had the Eagles endure an exhausting extended stay on the West Coast to start the season. The reward was two crippling losses to Fresno State and USC (and a couple of season altering injuries). This year, Georgia Southern hosts Houston and Charleston Southern in Statesboro while making light trios to Clemson and Jacksonville State. It’s not an easy row to hoe, but as Indiana Jones once said, “It’s not the years, it’s the mileage.” Fresh Eagles could be a menace in the Sun Belt East, especially if super-veteran transfer Max Johnson proves to be a capable signal caller.

Coastal Carolina Wins the East If: Everyone Else Forfeits the Season

First year coaches deserve a grace period, even in this age of insta-success. Ryan Beard knows how to win – he did so at Missouri State, guiding the Bears to a bowl game in their first year in the FBS. How he gets the ultra-competitive Sun Belt East, and while he’s brought solid hands from Missouri State to help grease the transition, it’s too much to ask when the Chants have lost their top two rushers, their leading receiver, significant offensive line experience and every quarterback who threw a meaningful pass. Enjoy the grace period, Ryan! It won’t last long.

Georgia State Wins the East If: Cameron Brown is “The One”

The Panthers were an adventure behind center all season long in 2025, drifting from Brown to Christian Veilleux to TJ Finely and finally back to Brown, who comes across as a cool and collected quarterback. Georgia State will need all of Brown’s ability and maturity just to get through the first four games – a Murderer’s Row of Mississippi, Memphis, Murray State and Vanderbilt. But iron sharpens iron, and if Brown and Georgia State can survive the heat of the crucible at season’s beginning, Coach Dell McGee will have a tried and seasoned team for SBC East play.

Marshall Wins the East If: The Defense is Half as Good as the Offense

Marshall placed a conference-high five players on the SBC Preseason First Team Offense, including Carlos Del Rio-Wilson who was named the Sun Belt Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Defensively, the Thundering Herd have three players on the First and Second team combined. Listen, I know, ULM would kill for that kind of representation. But this is Huntington! They have standards. Last year, Marshall was among the worst teams in the FBS for surrendering points, spotting opponents more than 30 per game. With the offense looking pretty tight, one will have to wait and see if head coach Tony Gibson did enough to shore up the D.

Old Dominion Wins the East If: Quinn Henicle is Colton Joseph 2.0

Quinn Henicle has two modes: throw and run, and he does both well. In a spot-start against Arkansas State as a true freshman, Henicle totaled four touchdowns and ran for 209 yards. The Sun Belt was so impressed they named him Offensive Player of the Week. When last year’s starter Colten Joseph bailed for West Virginia before Old Dominion’s bowl game, Henicle performed so well he was named Cure Bowl MVP. Monarchs fans should not expect to see a dip in production, which makes improving upon a 10-3 season more than just doable.

Ultimate Bad Ass: Old Dominion

After a number of years missing opportunities and falling short of goals, Ricky Rahne and his Monarchs suddenly find themselves in a position of strength. Quinn Henicle is a legit talent behind center, and if he gets into trouble, he has super-RB Devin Roche to keep opposing linebackers honest.

That said, the Monarchs should be even stouter on defense with 58% of its production returning to administer more punishment. This is Old Dominion’s year, ya’ll. Deal with it.

Checking In With Commissioner Gill

At Sun Belt Media Days, it was clear that Keith Gill wasn’t wild about expanding the Playoffs, nor was he cool with Congressional attempts to “save college sports.” It’s not that he sees expanded Playoffs as a Trojan Horse that allows more participation from the BIG10 and SEC. For Commissioner Gill, it’s more of the logistics nightmare more post season play would create. As for proposed legislation, Gill was hesitant to introduce government interference into conference alignment and scheduling. Also, Gill was cautious about introducing more sports into the conference, though the idea of flag football seemed to intrigue him.